Semana 4 la sopa

Boy..! haha missions are so great. So stinkin hard but so stinkin wonderful. 

This was THE hardest week yet but by far the most wonderful! Lemme 1st express my love and thanks for my companion Elder MacFarlane. There’s a reason I’m with this elder and boy there is no one else that I'm supposed to be companions with. He’s like Mackay Keech but not. idk. He’s just so stinkin awesome! Got some good stories to share!

Soooo half of our district including Elder MacFarlane and I got pretty sick this week.. Like bad. So those pounds I gained are definitely gone haha. But we're perfectly fine now and all good! But Saturday was the worst day and I gave Elder MacFarlane my first ever priesthood blessing and he gave me his first ever. And boy. The Priesthood is so real. And so powerful. I was kinda nervous and a little scared because I didn’t know what I was gonna say so right before, I cleared my mind and as soon as I started talking thoughts and impressions came to me directly from our Father in Heaven. They were special and sacred and there is no way I can deny the power of the Priesthood. Just with that simple blessing. He also said things to me that I needed exactly to hear. Ah so amazing.

Reminds me of what Elder Bednar talked about. He said that Christ’s whole ministry and whole doctrine was ´one by one´ and that’s the Priesthood! To serve others, one by one. Because God cares about EVERY SINGLE ONE OF HIS CHILDREN.

And with that.. coolest story. So Sat. morn was REALLY bad for me with being sick and so I was pretty out of it and left the key to our room in the room and we locked it in there. And so coming to change for deportes I realized what I did and so we had to go to the Temple and find the worker that had an extra key to our room. But before we left I had an impression to take a Book of Mormon with me. And so I did, and so we got the guy, and then this girl came up to me and Elder Pugh (because Elder MacFarlane was really sick in the bathroom) and she had a friend with her that was investigating the church and in broken Spanish I talked to him about the book, that it was another testament of Christ, asked him why he was interested, got his name and number for the missionaries, and challenged him to read the intro that night and pray to God if it was true. He said yeah! And so I gave him the book and we went on our way. Hold up for a sec because I gotta tell one more story that happened on Friday and then connect it all!

Ok I’m so pumped to tell this story. So when the newbies got here 2 weeks ago (woa 2 weeks..) there was this Latino I saw and said hi to cuz we were welcoming everyone and then I see this kid. And I’m like "I know him" I know this kid! And so from everyday on for a week we say hi to each other and yadda yadda. Oh and his name is Elder Rodriguez and he’s from Tegucigalpa. So this past Wed at the end of lunch he told me to come over and I can barely understand him but another Latino was trying to translate and he basically said that "he knows me from the pre-mortal life" and I was like WHAT. And I was trying to say yo tambien, yo tambien but we had to go so at dinner he got someone that speaks Spanish and English and I think Elder Rodriguez didn’t think I understood but I did and so this elder that was translating was like you’ll never believe this.. And I was like no. I feel exactly the same. We knew each other before this life. YOU GUYS HES MY BROTHER! And yesterday I just found out that he is serving in Comayaguela for 2 months because his visa for Mexico isn't here yet! No way to describe how I feel. And so all this happened at the end of the week. During the week.. I’ll just say it. It was terrible. Being sick, homesick, Spanish was REALLY struggling it was just bad. And then all this stuff happens.. At the end. And we watched a video on the Atonement by Elder Holland and holy smokes did it blow me away. He is amazing. He said 3 things that I love more than anything concerning Christ and the Atonement. 

"Salvation is not a cheap experience. IT WAS NOT EASY. Why would WE think it’d be easy if it NEVER WAS EASY for Him."

Talking to mission presidents, he said concerning missionaries, if they asked why it was so hard "someone a lot greater asked the Father that same question a very long time ago."

"Stand tall when you feel you are having no success, for the greatest missionary is beside you"

Ah. Just gives me the chills.

And so of course I was balling because all of it and just made me realize why I'm here. And also we watched the Joseph Smith movie on Sunday and Joseph Smith is my role model. I will defend him to my very last breath. That man is and was a prophet and so help me, I will say that until I die. He restored this Gospel and went through things that I could only imagine. This is the Lords church and I am so glad a 14 year old boy had the guts to ask a question to God the Father. And so with that I challenge every one that reads this to get on your knees and find out for yourself if Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, restored the Gospel and the priesthood on this earth, and translated the Book of Mormon. 

Faith precedes the miracle.

Saturday we taught a lesson and I was conjugating and talking in Español like nothing I thought I could do. All those miracles happened this weekend.  And then our teacher told us out of a year and a half teaching we are one of 3 districts to be this good at Spanish in just 4 weeks. The Lord is there people. Use Him. 

All of it amazes me. It’s hard but it’s worth it! So this week remember to just keep going! Don’t stop! Love you all!

-Elder Johnson

This week I'm thankful for a body, eyes, ears, Elder Holland, Joseph Smith, my ability to see and smell, the ability to get better, exact obedience, letters, candy, The Book of Mormon, my Savior, pictures, stories, and loyalty. 

Weekly quote from Elder MacFarlane

"Ya back in the day I turned 10 bucks into 1,000 on online poker once" 

hahaha

Also. Fam. Buy food storage. D and C 29

Um so I'm out in 2 weeks! Mom, you probably can send letters to my mission home now so ya!